Kim Jong Un Speaks Out About North Korea’s Nuclear Threat After Latest Missile Tests

North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state 0:59 Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, warned his adversaries on Thursday that his nuclear forces are fully prepared for a ” real war,” a day after the isolated country’s last launch in a recent series of missile tests. “Our nuclear fighting forces… once again demonstrated their full readiness for a real war to bring enemies under their control,” Kim said in a report by the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA). English), administered by the State. Kim Jong Un’s fiery statement, the first on North Korea’s missile program in months, came after he reportedly oversaw the long-range cruise missile test over waters west of the peninsula on Wednesday. from Korea, according to KCNA. Wednesday was the 26th cruise or ballistic missile test by the Kim regime this year, according to a CNN tally, though analysts stressed that the KCNA reports should be treated with caution as South Korean state media North had previously exaggerated the success of such launches. On Monday, North Korean state media broke a six-month silence on this year’s series of missile tests, claiming they were part of a series of mock procedures intended to demonstrate Pyongyang’s readiness to fire tactical nuclear warheads at targets. potential in South Korea. North Korea has stepped up missile tests this year, raising fears that it plans to carry out its first nuclear test since 2017. (Credit: KCNA/KCNA) In Monday’s report, the KCNA said the recent tests North Korean missiles showed that the country’s forces were “fully ready to attack and destroy the established objects at the designated locations within the specified time.” Kim Jun-rak, spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that North Korea launched two cruise missiles from the Kaechon area, South Phyongan province, from 2 a.m. local time Wednesday over the Sea. of the West, also known as the Yellow. Mar. “The South Korean military was aware of the situation in real time and maintained a preparedness posture by closely cooperating with the US while strengthening surveillance and surveillance,” Kim Jong Un said at a briefing on Tuesday. Thursday. The US Indo-Pacific Command said it had no comment on Wednesday’s test reports. The KCNA report stated that the cruise missiles tested on Wednesday flew in oval and figure-8 patterns for nearly three hours over the sea before reaching their target. Why does North Korea keep launching missiles? 1:20 Nuclear Test Fears Analysts stressed caution about the KCNA reports. “It’s worth remembering that the details of these reports cannot be trusted,” said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “The Kim regime is sometimes surprisingly transparent about weapons development goals, but it also tends to exaggerate strength and capabilities.” But Easley and others stressed that the North Korean reports should not be dismissed as sheer bragging on the part of South Korea and the West. Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul, said North Korea’s missile tests show a program in progress, even if current strengths are exaggerated. “The fact that Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of this missile suggests that the cruise missile is in the final stage of development,” he said. Cruise missiles have substantial differences from ballistic missiles, which have made up the vast majority of North Korea’s tests this year. A ballistic missile is launched using a rocket or rockets, then travels out of the Earth’s atmosphere, glides into space before re-entering, and then descends solely on gravity to its target. A cruise missile is powered by a jet engine, remains within the Earth’s atmosphere during its flight, and is maneuverable with aircraft-like control surfaces. Cruise missiles have smaller payloads than ballistic missiles, so it would require a smaller nuclear warhead than a missile designed to hit the continental United States, such as an ICBM. United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, but such a restriction does not apply to cruise missile tests. North Korea’s ability to deploy a nuclear warhead on any type of missile is unproven. Shin Beom-chul, South Korea’s deputy defense minister, told local SBS radio station Thursday morning that the series of missile tests and threatening announcements from Pyongyang show that North Korea may be preparing tests of a nuclear device for the seventh time. Its last test was in 2017. North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state 0:59 “North Korea is testing several missiles. And now they have tested cruise missiles, and I think they will test the part of the tactical nuke that can be loaded into each warhead,” Shin said. “North Korea has not conducted a tactical nuclear test, so it needs to make the smallest nuclear warheads and verify them,” he added. Even if it doesn’t test a nuclear weapon, North Korea’s new propaganda campaign presents a problem, said Easley, a professor at Ewha University. “Pyongyang’s military threats are a chronic and worsening problem for peace and stability in Asia,” Easley said. “Lawmakers in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington must not let domestic politics and other challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine prevent them from increasing international coordination on military deterrence and economic sanctions” in Pyongyang, he said. CNN’s Gawon Bae, Larry Register and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.